The UpTake: One of the wealthiest people in the world, this CEO shows working hard and playing hard aren't mutually exclusive—even if his priorities may be a bit untraditional.

Last September Larry Ellison’s attention was monumentally split. First, there was the America’s Cup, a race which he personally rallied to bring to San Francisco, the home of his $176 billion software company, Oracle—featuring his own boat. Second, there was Oracle OpenWorld, the flagship event for his company’s most dedicated users, at which he was scheduled to give a keynote address. As with so many times in the past, Ellison made his priorities very clear.

Forty-five minutes after his speech was scheduled to begin, the faithful were told to forget it: Mr. Ellison does what he wants, and he wants to be out on a boat in the bay, watching that $100 million investment pay off in a come-from-behind victory.

You see, like the honey-badger of YouTube fame, who does not give a s#$%, Larry Ellison follows his appetites where they take him. Here’s four other ways the 69-year-old CEO does not give s$%#:

He owns an island: In 2012 Larry Ellison bought Lanai, one of the Hawaiian Islands, for around $500 million. As of the 2010 census 3,102 people lived there. But in what may be the clearest example ever of Adam Smith's Invisible Hand, thanks to the CEO’s upgrades to his property, is expected to double the island's population

In the early 1990s he dated multiple Oracle employees at the same time: According to the book, The Difference Between Larry Ellison and God, by Mike Wilson, the CEO dated as many as three employees at once.

When his company was just starting off he hired a fighter plane for fun: Also according Wilson’s book, in the early days of Oracle, he hired a fighter plane for a joy ride, leading his co-founder Bob Miner to write, “It’s things like this that caused the French Revolution.”

He is the highest paid CEO in the world, by a lot: Over the last eight years Ellison has been paid $582 million, $83 million more that the runner up, Tim Cook. In spite of only taking a $1 salary last year, he was compensated $78 million, according to the article.

Last year Ellison cut off his funding to medical research, but in a Giving Pledge letter said he’d eventually give way 95 percent of his wealth. So even if he does have a devil may care attitude, if his pledge can be trusted, he’ll eventually include other people in on his wealth. At least he won’t ask to be buried with his riches.

Michael del Castillo is the technology and innovation reporter at Upstart Business Journal, a member of American City Business Journals. A graduate of Columbia University, his work has appeared in the New Yorker. He is also the cofounder of Literary Manhattan, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Manhattan’s literary community and creating new ways to appreciate literature.

SHARE THIS STORY

Comments

If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.